Seasons
by pocketcucco
Summary: Four seasons and four different chances for Yuri to pull Flynn from his life of duty and responsibility. For the 4seasonal community.
1. Picnic

**Author's Note:** _Seasons_ is going to be a set of four seasonal/food themed oneshots written for the 4seasonal community on LiveJournal. I like the Yuri/Flynn pairing and all, but whenever I try to write them they come out platonic...so I guess these will be mostly friendly Yuri and Flynn. Maybe some implied romance if you squint really, really hard.

Mostly post-game, I think, but there won't be any spoilers (unless otherwise noted).

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Tales of Vesperia._

_Spring: Picnic_

"Yuri, I really don't have time for this…"

"Come on, Flynn. It'll be fun."

The blonde knight raised a skeptical eyebrow at his friend and propped himself tiredly against the doorframe. Yuri stood across from him in the hall, one hand perched at his hip and the other clamped around a wicker basket.

After a long, awkward pause, Flynn finally sighed, his head leaning precariously forward. "Please, this is so ridiculous…"

Yuri gave the knight a smug grin. "You never take breaks anymore. This is your time off, right? Let's go. A picnic, just like when we were kids. Remember?"

Flynn groaned quietly, but when he didn't protest, Yuri's smile widened. "Is it okay if I come in, then?"

"Oh…sure, I suppose," Flynn said, stepping aside to give him room. Yuri pushed past him – Flynn caught sight of his friend's smirk from the corner of his eye and felt a sense of foreboding dread wash over his body – and stood in the middle of the room, giving it a quick, appraising eye.

"Still boring as ever, I see."

"Is that all you have to say after you invite yourself in?"

"Just telling you the truth." Yuri paced over to the stack of papers on Flynn's desk and rifled through them. "Is this all you do all day? Work? I thought you were a knight…"

"I'm more than _just _a knight now," Flynn corrected, nudging Yuri away from his notes with his hand. "I have a lot of work to do. I have to keep things organized, you know."

Yuri waved a dismissive hand. "Leave that kind of stuff for Sodia to take care of. You know…it's the middle of spring and you're spending all your time cooped up in here. Get outside, live a little. Like when we were little – we used to go outside and play all the time when the weather was this nice."

Flynn's eyes wandered briefly to the open window. The sun was bright and warm outside; now that Yuri mentioned it, the prospect of going outside _did _seem very tempting, but…

"I can't, Yuri. I have responsibility now."

Yuri shrugged again and set his basket on the floor. "I guess we can just have this here, then."

"…What _is_ that?"

Yuri flipped the basket open and pulled out a warm, seasoned croquette – his specialty. "Lunch. Here, take some."

Flynn's mouth watered at the thought of eating one – he hadn't left his room since breakfast, and it was already well past noon now – but the papers on his desk were calling his name. _Work, Flynn Scifo! Work!_

A partially gloved hand waved the croquette in his face. "Come on, you know you want it."

"I suppose…a quick break wouldn't hurt for now," Flynn said, tentatively reaching out to take the croquette. Yuri shoved it in his hand before he could decide otherwise.

"Good choice," Yuri said with a wink. He pulled another croquette from the basket and took a bite. "How is it?"

Flynn tasted the fried roll; it was just as flavorful and delicious as it looked. "It's excellent. Thanks, Yuri."

"See? I knew you'd like my love-filled croquettes. Everyone else seems to, anyway."

"…_Love-filled _croquettes? Just what in the world-"

Yuri gave him a defensive scowl. "It's just an expression, jeez! Why does everyone take that so seriously?"

"It just sounds…_suspicious_."

"Of all the people… Flynn, you're the last person I'd peg for a pervert."

"I'm not…!" Flynn lowered his head and heaved a sigh. "Forget I said anything. Forget it. I'm going to get back to work."

"Oh, come on! I'm just kidding," Yuri said, setting the food aside. "Lighten up a bit. Enjoy the croquettes, because after this I'm never making them for you again unless you ask nicely."


	2. Ice Cream

_Summer: Ice Cream_

Flynn remembered that he started hating the summer months when he first became a knight. His thick, heavy armor made the heat even more unbearable than it already was; he secretly envied Yuri, who had the privilege of walking around the capital with his comfortable, chest-bearing shirt.

"So you're supposed to be 'patrolling' right now, aren't you?" Yuri questioned, raising a sly eyebrow when saw Flynn standing in the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the middle-class marketplace that sweltering afternoon.

The knight looked away, focusing his hard gaze on a nearby fruit stand. "It's not patrolling, exactly. I'm always in the noble quarters because of my work, and I didn't think _you'd_ be here to-"

"Oh? Were you trying to find me?"

"Yuri…of course not. You know I have too much work to do nowadays," Flynn said with a shake of his head. "In any case, I thought it would be better if the knights came around these areas more often."

Yuri's smooth grin only widened. "Well, you're here now, so we might as well walk around, right? Look, I can even help you 'patrol'."

"Er…my duties-"

Yuri shook his head. "Nope. _You're _not going to worry about these 'knightly duties' of yours for a few minutes, okay? I told you before – _lighten up_. You've only got one life, Flynn. Don't waste it all with work."

"Easy for someone like you to say…"

Yuri tactfully ignored his comment, scanning the bustling marketplace with a careful eye. Flynn didn't speak as he stood beside him, covertly wiping a thin layer of sweat from his brow with the back of his gloved hand. If only it wasn't so damn _hot_-

"Oh, hey! Want some ice cream to cool off? I know how uncomfortable that armor gets this time of the year," Yuri said, motioning in the direction of one of the food stands.

Flynn's hand paused at his forehead. He followed Yuri's gaze, his stoic façade momentarily dropping when he saw a shopkeeper handing a frosty cone to one of the children playing in the streets.

But, from the corner of his eye, he also saw a familiar, armored redhead prowling through the stands.

"Not right now, Yuri," he muttered, hoping that Sodia hadn't seen him slacking off.

Yuri's smile became a sullen frown. "What is it this time…?" he trailed off, following Flynn's worried stare. The smirk instantly returned. "Ohoh, I see."

"Exactly. So, if you'll excuse me-"

Yuri's hand wrapped around his wrist and yanked him back. "I'm not letting you off the hook that easy. We need to try some of this stuff before it all melts and the vendor has to leave. Besides, I don't think Sodia will care. She owes me a favor, anyway."

"She…wait, she _what?_"

Flynn was too tired to protest again as Yuri dragged him back to the stand. He glanced over the marketplace, but he couldn't see Sodia in the throngs of people; he only hoped that she had given up her search and returned to the castle to get out of the heat.

"Hey, check this out!" Before he knew it, Yuri returned to his side with a small cup in his hands. "They had shaved ice! Brings back memories, huh?"

Flynn reluctantly tore his eyes away from the crowd and looked down at the cup; it was filled to the brim with glittering, colorful shaved ice. Flynn was abruptly taken back several years to a day in his distant childhood: it was a blisteringly hot summer afternoon – not unlike this one, he recalled – and he remembered waiting with an impatient Yuri in the lower quarter while a local vendor handed out little cups of shaved ice…

A recognizable voice brought his train of thought to a screeching halt. "Sir!"

Flynn's stomach – and his appetite – dropped when he saw Sodia weaving through the mass of shoppers. Suddenly, he wasn't quite so hungry for shaved ice anymore.

The young woman gave him a quick salute. "I didn't expect to see you here in the middle-class quarter. I thought you were going back to the castle for a meeting," she said, trying in vain to keep the suspicion from her tone when she him standing beside Yuri.

"I was just on my way back now," Flynn replied, praying that his voice didn't betray his growing sense of unease.

Sodia's catlike eyes rested on the shaved ice in Yuri's hand. "I see you've been…_occupied,_ sir."

Flynn couldn't hold back his tired sigh this time. "It's not what you think."

She exchanged a somewhat unsettling glance with Yuri – who, for god knows why, only raised his eyebrows in response – and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

"I will…I mean, think I'm going to head back to the castle for now," she said after a short pause. "I'll see you later, sir."

"Ah-" Flynn extended a hand, but Sodia had already turned away from the two men. His arm fell limp at his side when she disappeared back into the crowd.

Yuri carefully shoved a spoonful of shaved ice in his mouth. "Huh. Tough luck. I guess this means you can stay here for a while longer, huh?"

"Yuri…if you weren't my best friend, I'd be more than just tempted to punch you."

"Is that your best comeback? Come on, that didn't stop you from punching me plenty of times before," Yuri said dryly. "Will you be happy again if I give you some of this shaved ice? It's really good."

For once, Flynn was glad it was too hot for him to manage a smirk at Yuri's sarcastic retort. He didn't want his raven-haired friend to think he had won their little battle…for now, at least.


	3. Fruits and Vegetables

**Author's Note:** There are minor (and probably harmless) references to Flynn and Yuri's 'duel' in this piece.

_Fall: Fruits and Vegetables_

Yuri always managed to find a new way to surprise Flynn when the knight let his guard down. This time it was in the form of a hastily scribbled note on the back of Flynn's (very important) report to Ioder.

_"I'll be in the castle kitchen at noon. No, I'm not in trouble…yet. Yuri."_

Flynn had half a mind to cross the note out and forget it existed, but, just like before, his curiosity had the best of him. Besides, Yuri might be causing some kind of trouble for Lablanc and his knights…again.

Flynn entered the kitchen at noon, just as Yuri's note requested. He looked cautiously past the door, half expecting to see Yuri grappling with a knife-bearing cook. But, aside from the raven-haired swordsman in the corner, no one else was there.

Whatever concern Flynn had felt before was quickly replaced by a fresh wave of suspicion. "Why is the kitchen empty? Where are all the cooks?"

"I found it like this when I was on my way to your room so I invited myself in," Yuri said. "I had an idea when I was in the marketplace today. I wanted to show you something."

"You mean you wanted to interrupt my work yet _again_?" Flynn asked exasperatedly.

"I'm not interrupting. I'm giving you a chance to take a break," Yuri said, casually motioning to one of the counters. A few peeled apples were lined up neatly on the tile, all waiting to be diced.

Morbid interest slowly overcame Flynn's urge to run back out the door before anyone saw them. He pointed warily at one of the apples. "What are you making?"

Yuri waved to a tin covered with flattened dough. "Pie, of course. I went out and grabbed a few apples this morning."

"And you came all the way to the castle to make it?"

"I wasn't originally planning on using this kitchen, but I thought it would be an interesting change of pace," Yuri said with an innocent shrug. "And besides, I don't have the right stuff at my place to make these."

"…You broke in, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't call it _breaking in_. I mean, I know Estelle will bail me out if I'm caught. And you will too, right?"

"No."

Yuri shrugged his shoulders again and moved back to the counter. "Then let's do and say we didn't."

Flynn bit his lip, but he didn't argue. Yuri's proposition – _cooking_, as ridiculous as it sounded – seemed fairly harmless. For the time being, at least.

But Flynn was all too familiar with Yuri's behavior. Sooner or later, something bad was bound to happen, and then-

Yuri suddenly shoved a rather sharp-looking knife at his chest. "Don't look so uptight. Come here and give me a hand."

Flynn followed his friend's gaze to the cutting board. One of the apples had already been cut perfectly down the middle, revealing its juicy center. Yuri smiled briefly at the blonde knight and went back to work.

"I didn't know you made anything besides your…'love-filled' croquettes, Yuri," Flynn said, taking a few cautious steps away from the table when his friend wasn't looking.

"I had to learn how to cook for myself, remember? Besides, apple pie reminds me of when we were kids."

Flynn couldn't help but grin. "Lately everything food-related has reminded you of our childhood."

"I can't help it," Yuri said, pushing several apple slices aside with the edge of his knife. "Remember that year when we went to help harvest the autumn apples for a little Gald? That's what I thought of when I saw these red apples in the marketplace this morning."

"Yes, I do. You threw some at me when you thought I wasn't looking."

"Well, you threw them back."

"And then we both almost got kicked out," Flynn said, stifling a chuckle. "So we gathered what we could and went back home."

Yuri took a carrot from a nearby table and held it like a sword. "And a few years later we joined the knights."

"That we did," Flynn agreed, grabbing the only other sword-like food he could find – a wilted celery stick. He brandished the 'weapon' with a flourish, taking a defensive stance when Yuri jabbed at him.

"Yeah, but you always beat me at games like this," Yuri said, twisting the carrot in one hand.

"You _did_ beat me…once."

"Once?"

Flynn drew back, a faint smile crossing his face. "Don't you remember? Back before you left with the others for that monstrosity that was floating around Halure. The duel we had?"

"Oh!" Yuri's smirk returned and he stabbed at Flynn again. "Of course I didn't forget! That was my time to shine!"

Flynn dodged the strike and poked Yuri in the side.

"If that was a real sword, I would've had you," he said.

"That was dumb luck. The glare coming from your armor distracted me."

Flynn laughed and tossed the celery at his friend. Yuri grabbed it in his left hand and threw it aside with the carrot.

"We've had some good times in the past," he murmured, turning back to the pie. "Hey, it's almost done! You ready to eat?"

"Of course. Kicking your ass always works up my appetite."

"Oh, no…we're not starting _that_ again, are we?"

"I could always beat you at a physical _and _verbal fight."

Yuri took the knife in his hand again and waved it. "Careful what you say, Flynn Scifo. I've got a real weapon this time."

Flynn opened his mouth to retort, but the kitchen door slammed open behind him. His blood ran cold.

Sodia's cry instantly broke the silence that followed. "Yuri Lowell!"

Yuri dropped the knife. "Calm down. It's not what it looks like."

The female knight glanced furtively at Flynn, her hand hovering over the hilt of her sword. She didn't budge.

"I think I'm going to head out," Yuri said, a devious grin sliding over his face.

Flynn couldn't imagine how he was going to get past Sodia when she was still standing in front of the door. Yuri stared at her for a long half-second before he jumped back and balanced himself on the nearby windowsill.

"I guess I'll just take a little detour this time," he said. "See you later, Flynn!"

"Yuri! Wait!" Flynn lunged at the window, but he was a few seconds too late. Yuri was already gone.

Flynn stood with his hands clamped on the sill, a cool, crisp autumn breeze brushing strands of blonde hair from his face. "So reckless," he muttered, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when he saw Yuri running down the castle grounds below with Adecor and Boccos already chasing after him.

"Sir?"

Flynn spun around and saw Sodia standing beside the remnants of Yuri's cooking. She nudged one of the abandoned apple slices with her finger and looked back up at her commanding officer.

"Sir, should I pursue him with Leblanc's men?"

"No," Flynn replied, shaking his head. "No, let him go."

"But-"

"It was just a misunderstanding."

"Ah…I know." Sodia looked away, her expression stuck somewhere between curiosity and unease. "I came to find you because you've been summoned by Lady Estellise. Would you like to meet with her now, or should I tell her you're…busy?"

Flynn held back a tired sigh. "No, it's all right. I'll go. Thank you for telling me, Sodia."

It was no use trying to correct her anymore, he thought, running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair. _Yuri's going to end up destroying my reputation as a knight if it's the last thing he does…_


	4. Soup

**Author's Note: **Ah, we're finally on the last oneshot in the series. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed _Seasons _over the past few months. I really appreciate it! (And as a side note, there _are_ end of game spoilers in this entry.)

_Winter: Soup_

Although Flynn felt as though he had run from Zaphias to Halure (and back again) without a single break, he still couldn't bring himself to regret his decision to stay out late patrolling despite the rain.

It had been particularly cold and wet all day, certainly not the kind of weather a commandant would go out in – Alexei himself would've stayed inside without a second thought. But, as Flynn Scifo had already established time and time again, he wasn't a regular commandant. He seemed to enjoy his walks through the city, rain or shine.

He patrolled the streets of Zaphias that day – sometimes with Sodia, but usually alone – in his free time in spite of the downpour, which had grown progressively from a light morning drizzle to a freezing winter cascade.

At some point, when the gray, watery daylight was beginning to fade, Flynn found himself beside the fountain in the lower quarter. The only other person in the small plaza was a dark-haired child – Ted, if Flynn was remembering his name correctly – who was too focused on his simple task of collecting drinking water to notice the knight.

No, he wasn't there to see Yuri; or, at least that's what Flynn kept telling himself. His work kept him busy, and he had only seen his old friend once or twice – and fleetingly at that – since the kitchen incident several months prior.

Flynn had finally decided to return to the castle after a quick walk around the lower quarter when he heard a shriek from nearby. His head snapped up, blue eyes scanning the plaza with sudden urgency.

Ted lost his balance and fell into the nearby canal with a sickening splash. Flynn rushed forward and flung himself into the cold water after the boy without a second thought.

The current – which was a lot stronger than Flynn was anticipating – swept the commandant up and tossed him through the canal like a rag doll. But he couldn't let this stop him; he had to save Ted before either of them drowned.

Flynn swam closer to the child, threw out his hand, and grabbed him by his wrist. Ted's head was barely bobbing above the surface, and Flynn was having just as much trouble as he tried to keep his mouth and nose above the water. His earlier training to become a knight hadn't prepared him for anything quite like this.

Flynn pulled Ted to his chest and forced his way to the side of the canal. He reached out for the wall, but his gloved fingers found no purchase and only skimmed the rain-slick stone.

An uncharacteristic spike of fear settled somewhere in his stomach. In his panic to save the child, he hadn't quite thought of an alternate way out. He mentally cursed himself – this wasn't like Flynn Scifo at all. Why wasn't he thinking clearly?

Another hand suddenly wrapped around his outstretched wrist and yanked him up. Seconds later, Flynn found himself sprawled out on the dirt path, surrounded by the denizens of the lower quarter and the boy he had been trying to save.

"Ted!" A woman rushed to the boy's side and scooped him up in her arms. "Ted, are you all right?"

She waited for Ted's subdued response before she turned to Flynn, her smile deeply appreciative but creased with motherly concern. "Thank you so much, Commandant. Are you okay?"

The others joined in with a chorus of thank-yous and anxious are-you-all-rights as Flynn nodded and pushed himself to his hands and knees, feeling less than glamorous when he coughed up a stomachful of clammy canal water.

A partially gloved hand touched his shoulder. "Hey, you all right?"

Flynn turned. "Yuri. You...?"

Yuri's lopsided smile answered Flynn's unspoken question. His friend had saved his life...again.

The good news was that Ted was safe and sound once more in the lower quarter. The bad news was that Flynn had developed a nasty bout of the flu because of his escapades in the winter rain, and now he was too sick to keep up with his regular duties. His throat was raw, his entire body ached, and his eyes and nose hadn't stopped running for several long days.

He had a feeling that Yuri's presence wouldn't do much to remedy all of this.

Yuri showed up early the following evening with a steaming bowl in his hand and an ominous smile on his face. Flynn was bedridden, so he couldn't get up and run; his only option was to close his eyes, pretend to be asleep, and hope for the best.

"I'm not falling for that one," Yuri said, much to Flynn's dismay. Flynn forced his heavy eyelids open and looked up at his friend blearily.

"I'm really not in the mood," he croaked.

Yuri grinned. "Well, too bad. I don't really care. Besides, don't you sort of owe me for saving your life?"

"Not when I feel like _this_..."

"Indulge me for a few minutes, and then I'll be on my way."

Flynn only nodded weakly. He didn't feel up to an argument, much to Yuri's obvious satisfaction. This was one battle Flynn knew he couldn't possibly win.

"I brought you some soup," Yuri said, finally brandishing the bowl in his hand. "I made it myself too, for your sore throat and everything. It's your favorite...I think."

Flynn stared at the bowl. He decided not to speak and let his hollow, sour stomach protest for him with a loud growl.

Yuri took a spoon, dipped it in the soup, and sampled it himself. "See? I'm not dying. And it tastes pretty damn good, if I do say so myself."

Flynn didn't respond. All he could do was pull his lips into a frown.

"Oh, come _on_," Yuri said. He ladled out more soup and held the spoon closer to Flynn's mouth. "And don't be a five year-old and say you won't eat from this spoon because I just did and it would be like an indirect kiss."

Flynn felt his face grow hot, and he was glad for once that his fever-flushed cheeks disguised the embarrassing red tinge.

"Eat," Yuri commanded, forcing the utensil between Flynn's tightly clamped lips.

The warm, tangy soup felt as though it had brought Flynn's flu-deadened taste buds back to life. Yuri was right – it was _good. _The sick commandant swallowed that mouthful and eagerly accepted the next, trying to ignore the fact that he was being spooned the food like a child. When he thought of what the scene would look like to one of his subordinates if they suddenly walked in, he took the utensil with a scowl and fed himself.

"There. That soup always makes me feel better," Yuri said when the bowl was nearly empty.

"Thank you for helping me out the other day," Flynn said, a little less painfully than before. The hot soup was doing wonders for his throat.

Yuri smirked again. "No problem. Thank _you _for being there for Ted."

"I was lucky I was down there when he fell in."

"Yeah, you were," Yuri said, raising his eyebrows suspiciously. "Why _were_ you there? None of the other knights come to the lower quarter...well, unless you ask them to, I suppose."

"I was lucky," Flynn repeated. "No, I was _not _looking for you," he added when a sly smile crossed his friend's face.

Yuri snapped his fingers with mock disappointment. "Well, damn."

They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence for a while longer. Flynn was wondering why Yuri had pushed the bowl of soup so far out of his reach when his friend finally spoke up.

"You just jumped in without really thinking, didn't you?" Yuri asked.

That snapped Flynn's eyes away from the bowl. "C-Come again?"

"You just jumped in that freezing water to save Ted without thinking about what would happen to you. I mean, I'm not saying it was a bad thing to save Ted – I'm really glad you did – but it's just-"

"You would've done the same thing if you had been there instead of me."

Yuri laughed. "Yeah, that's true. But damn, Flynn, if you hadn't been pulled out..."

"Any knight would've-"

"You're more stubborn – and hardheaded and prone to justice – than the others. That's why you're a commandant now."

Flynn sighed heavily, wishing he were young enough to bury his head under the covers and block everything out. "Yuri, I'm too sick to discuss this. Can you give me a hard time when I'm well enough to stand and stay awake for longer than ten minutes? Besides, you're being hypocritical."

"Yeah...yeah, I know. I don't need you to tell me that." Yuri paused and looked down at his folded hands. "I know I've been pushing it, but I really think you need a break for a while to take your mind off things."

"I still would've saved Ted even if I had absolutely no training as a knight. My work has nothing to do with all this."

"I know that! I'm just saying, you really _do _need a break even if you _are_ the commandant. You're at the point where you've worked yourself sick. No one in the lower quarter sees you anymore because you're so busy with these 'knightly duties' of yours."

"I think it was just the rain and my little swim that made me sick. I was out for a good part of the day walking around. And besides-"

"No, no, don't try to deny it," Yuri interrupted with a quick, knowing grin.

Flynn's sullen frown only deepened. "You're not going to give this up until I finally throw in the towel, are you?"

"Nope."

Flynn leaned his head back against his pillows and mentally weighed his options – he could lie to Yuri, ignore him, or agree with him. Of course, Flynn wanted nothing more than to return to his work as soon as he recovered – which he was hoping would be soon – but on the other hand-

He stopped himself from overthinking the situation and took another long, slow breath. Maybe his and Yuri's little run-ins over the past few months weren't just happenstance. Maybe he _could _get something out of these friendly, seemingly insignificant meetings.

And if a little more downtime meant less time feeling this sick (and less time with Yuri badgering him with food, even if it _was _good), he might just be all for it.

"Well?" Yuri impatiently tapped him on the forehead. "You still awake, sleeping beauty?"

"Fine, fine," Flynn said exasperatedly, brushing him away with a free hand. "I'll take a _few _more breaks here and there. And I'll come visit the lower quarter more often."

"And so the hopelessly stubborn commandant finally gives in to the pestering of a local peasant! But I'll probably have to pop in every once in a while to keep an eye on you and make sure you're keeping your promise," Yuri said triumphantly as he dipped the spoon back in the not-so-warm bowl of soup and handed it to him. "Now, eat the rest of this and _appreciate_ it. I finally managed to sneak into that big castle kitchen and cook without your lackeys catching me."


End file.
